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about
Everyone who is older than a certain age in Japan knows the face of Tonoyama Taiji. Hewas one of the most prolific supporting actors of the Showa period and appeared in countless films and TV programs. However, although many would recognize the face, not many actually knew his name or about his unique career as an actor. Even fewer
knew about his brilliant writings based on his experiences on the battlefield and that he was a key figure in introducing the latest jazz of that time. When you visited a free jazz concert in Tokyo during the 1970s, you were sure to see Tonoyama in the audience. Especially when Takayanagi Masayuki played, he was among the few audience members which also included myself. This was because I was an adamant reader of Tonoyama’s essays and visited every free jazz spot that he wrote about. As a teenager, his writings were my window into the Japanese free jazz scene. I had a chance to talk to Tonoyama just once. It was at the concert that Takayanagi Masayuki and Togashi Masahiko played at Zojoji Hall. At the time I was already working
as Takayanagi’s assistant and was assigned to setting up his instruments on stage. I suspected that Tonoyama would be at this show, so I kept a copy of his essay Tonoyama Taiji’s Jam Jam Diaries in my pocket. When I saw him, I asked for his autograph on the cover of the book, and this was the only time I ever had a conversation with him.
I had a humble dream that one day I would see Tonoyama in the audience at one of my own concerts, but it never came to fruition. Tonoyama passed away in 1989, the last year of Showa, at the age of 73. The book with his autograph is one of my most valued possessions.
OTOMO YOSHIHIDE SPECIAL BIG BAND / 大友良英スペシャルビッグバンドJapan
This album, the first under the band's name in six and a half years, is a jazz alternative album with a multilingual and
hardcore taste that differs greatly from previous albums.
バンド名義のアルバムとしては6年半ぶりになる今作は、これまでとは大きく異なるマルチリンガルでハードコアなテイストに貫かれたジャズ・オルタナティブ・アルバムとなっています。Ground-Zeroから今日に至るまでの大友良英の活動の集大成とも言えるアルバムです。...more